


I'll Be There in Spirit

by TwoPercentMalk



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Bittersweet, Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Future Fic, He probably won't die in a looooong time though, He's just got salt and pepper hair now because I said so, I believe in short Gus supremacy, King's getting old :(, Major character death is literally the plot, The shorter you are the taller the crown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:07:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoPercentMalk/pseuds/TwoPercentMalk
Summary: Camila Noceda had lived a long, fulfilling life, but the time had come for her tale to come to a close. Though she's content with the life she's lead, she wishes she could see her missing daughter one last time.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 9
Kudos: 162





	I'll Be There in Spirit

Camila Noceda had lived a long, fulfilling life. She had dedicated herself to helping others, in her work as a nurse and in everyday life, just like she’d sworn to when she was a little girl. Life was harsh, cold, and unforgiving. It was her job, her duty, to light the way for both herself and others; life was all about giving, after all. Giving strangers a comforting smile, or being a shoulder to cry on for those in mourning. Being a nurse was so much more than knowing how to repair broken bones and torn muscles. She was a medic, caretaker, therapist, and mourner, shifting and transforming into whatever people needed most.

But now the final chapter of her tale was coming to a close, as all stories should. She had no family to visit her, but she didn’t mind. Death wasn’t cold or shocking, especially to someone who had been surrounded by it all her life. It felt like slipping into a lukewarm bath, the water slowly washing over her. She smiled to herself, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She had her regrets, of course. Life was never perfect, no matter how hard you fought for flawlessness, but her greatest burden still weighed heavily on her, as if her heart was being smothered by grief.

_ I wish I could say goodbye my dear Luz, just one last time... _

_ I suppose I’ll see you soon, mija. _

With one more weary breath, Camila Noceda let her eyes drift shut, and felt herself fade away.

***

Camila found herself in a dusty marketplace, filled with vibrant stalls and merchants hawking their wares. The sun blazed overhead, the only available shade coming from the trees arching overhead, their leaves the color of rust. People milled about the market, sometimes passing through her, as if she was never there. If she stared at her hand hard enough, she could make out the surroundings through it, but she felt as solid as she had in life. Camila hadn’t really known what to expect after death, if anything at all, but she certainly wasn’t expecting a marketplace filled with strange creatures. Some looked almost human, if you ignored their pointed ears and odd clothing, while others appeared downright monstrous, with pointed horns, multiple limbs, and mouths lined with shark-like teeth. The other passersby were able to interact with each other, haggling over prices and elbowing each other good-naturedly when someone told a bad joke. It seemed that she was the only one who was undetectable.

“Alright, kid, good work! Thanks for your help today.”

Camila looked about, searching for the voice that had interrupted her train of thought. Behind her, a tall, pale woman was closing up shop for the day. Her pointed ears just poked through her wild mane of gray hair, and a single gold fang glinted in the sunlight. She was talking to a hooded figure who had their back to Camila, cupping some small, indiscernible object in their hands.

“Can I keep these?” the figure asked tentatively, and their voice struck like a lightning bolt, dredging up raw, aching pain that Camila believed to have gone numb long ago. Numb, perhaps, but it never truly stopped hurting.

The older woman raised an eyebrow. “I mean, sure, they’ve been sitting around for days now and no one will buy them. But why those?”

The figure turned to face them, tugging off their hood, and Camila could’ve sworn she felt her heart stop a second time.

“They remind me of someone,” Luz said wistfully, pocketing whatever was in her hands. She was older now, a young woman and taller than Camila by at least a head, but the same as the day she disappeared in so many ways. The same bright eyes and messy hair, the same cheerful smile she would always give to reassure her mother that everything would be okay. Tears rolled freely down Camila Noceda’s cheeks, swimming in her vision, but she refused to look away or blink, even for the briefest of moments.

_ You’re all grown up now, mija… how much of your life have I missed? _

“Alright, Miss Cryptic, run along now,” the woman scoffed. “You wouldn’t want to get home late, or the wifey’s gonna be upset.” Luz grinned sheepishly, fidgeting with the simple silver band that wrapped around her finger.

“Thank you, Eda!” She set off down the dusty street, whistling to herself as she admired all of the sights around her. Camila felt another wave of sorrow wrench at her heart. Luz hadn’t even known how to whistle before she left. She’d spend hours practicing, trying to mimic the themes of her favorite television shows, but all she could manage was a sputtering wheeze. Camila would laugh uncontrollably as she kept trying, her face growing more and more red until she was panting for breath.

“C’mon, Mami!” she had groaned one morning, after nearly fainting. “Can’t you just teach me?”

“It’s not easy to teach,  _ mija _ ,” Camila cooed in response, running a hand through Luz’s hair. “You just have to feel it out for yourself.”

Luz, much like everyone else, hadn’t noticed her spirit gliding along behind her. She jogged through the town, waving and calling out to people as she went. One woman with three eyes rolled them, making Camila dizzy, but Luz just stuck her tongue out and kept going. 

“Luz!”

Two people, seemingly out of nowhere, ran up to her and tackled her in a hug. They fell into a pile in the middle of the street, laughing.

“Willow! Gus! What are you guys doing here?”

“We figured you’d be wrapping up your work with Eda, so we came to visit,” the taller of the two witches, a girl with thick round glasses and a slight baby face, replied as the trio untangled themselves.

“Well, yeah, I figured that much, but shouldn’t you guys be busy with council shenanigans?”

The second witch, the shortest of the three, scoffed. “Have you really forgotten what day it is already? I know you can be absent-minded, but this is just appalling.”

Luz paused for a moment, brow furrowed, before her expression changed to one of shock and horror. “Oh, no! Amity’s gonna kill me!”

“‘We can still get there in time if we hurry,” Willow laughed, placing a reassuring hand on Luz’s shoulder. “Last one there has to clean the Abomination goo!” Without a look back, she sprinted down the road, leaving Luz and Gus in the dust.

“What?! HEY! That’s not fair!” They took off after the other witch, grinning from ear to ear. Camila followed along behind them, unable to wipe the smile from her face, though she made no effort to do so.

Camila glided along as Luz ran through the winding streets. It was as if a medieval village and one of those horror movies her daughter liked to stay up watching had been mashed together. It fit her perfectly. However Luz had ended up here, she’d made a life for herself. Camila felt a stab of guilt; could she not give Luz the life she’d wanted, the life she deserved? Was that why she had never come back home? Not even for one last goodbye?

No, no, that kind of thinking wouldn’t do. Camila shoved her regrets as deep down as she could. Luz was truly happy here, more than she’d ever been on Earth. If this was the path her daughter chose, and it brought her joy, then she was content too.

Luz finally came to a stop in front of a small house at the edge of the town, swaying on her feet. Gus and Willow had already beaten her by a long shot and seemed to have fully recovered, looking at her with smug, victorious grins.

“That’s not fair,” Luz whined, leaning on her knees as she caught her breath. “I’m a dork, I don’t do exercise.”

Willow rolled her eyes. “We’re  _ all _ dorks, Luz. How do you think we got to know each other?”

“Yeah, but you actually work out! And Gus… uh, I have no excuse there. Sorry.”

“Many years of being short taught me how to keep up with taller people,” he nodded sagely, massaging his chin as if stroking an imaginary beard. “Now, come on! You can get a small break before clean-up duty.”

Luz groaned in protest, but didn’t complain any further as they shuffled into the house. It was small and quaint, and much less messy than would be expected of any space that Luz lived in. She still had various knick-knacks strewn about, of course, such as a pile of various hoodies on the couch that she still hadn’t put away. Pictures were hung all around the living room, covering the walls on every side. Camila recognized the older witch Luz had been with earlier - Eda? - as well as Willow and Gus, but some people were unfamiliar to her. One picture showed Eda posing next to another woman with sleek, raven-black hair. Eda was giving a toothy grin and held her fingers in a peace sign above the woman’s head, who seemed like she was barely keeping herself from smiling. The contrast was as clear as crystal, but the two seemed close. Maybe family, or long-time friends?

She shifted her attention to the other photos around the room. One included Luz and Eda, arms wrapped around each other, while a dog-like creature had clambered onto Luz’s shoulder. What she had mistaken for a massive boa scarf around the older witch’s neck appeared to be a long, feathered serpent, stretching all the way into the background. Its owl-like face was full of glee. The photo next to it showed a younger Luz, maybe in her late teens, with her arms wrapped around another girl, lifting her off the ground. The second girl had flushed bright red, as if she’d swallowed a ghost pepper, and her mint-colored hair stuck out against her furious blush. Luz had her eyes shut, likely straining from the effort of lifting her friend into the air, while the other girl was gazing at Luz as if she was joy personified.

“Luz! You’re back!” The dog-like creature from the photos skidded into the room, almost crashing into a wall before he could come to a stop. What Camila had assumed was white fur on the crown of his head was actually stark-white bone, with two horns protruding from the top, though one looked as if it had been broken a long time ago. He seemed a bit bigger than he was in the pictures on the wall, and his coat of black fur was flecked with small white hairs.

“King!” Luz scooped him up and spun around, as if she was just given a puppy on Christmas. “Oof, you’re getting heavy. Have you been sneaking into the pantry again?”

“Maybe a little…” he grumbled, eyes darting around the room as if looking for something to push the blame onto. “Ooh, you brought my favorite subjects too!” The other witches exchanged skeptical looks as Luz chastised King, until the sound of footsteps interrupted their bickering. Another young woman appeared in the doorway to the living room, drying her hands on an apron that was covered in mysterious purple stains, some of which seemed to have gotten in her hair as well.

“What took you so long?” she jeered, hands on her hips, but the bright grin on her face gave her emotions away. Luz pulled her into a three-way hug with King, planting a kiss on her cheek. The woman laughed, trying to wriggle out of Luz’s grasp. Even though her hair was now a warm auburn, her burning red face immediately gave her away as the girl in the photograph.

“You’re going to get us all covered in Abomination goop! Don’t you know how hard it is to get out of King’s fur?”

“Yeah, I’m a delicate boy! My coat can’t stay this lush without care!” the demon piped up, but his voice was muffled as Luz just tightened her grip.

“These two already stuck me with cleaning duty, it can’t get much worse.” She glared at Willow and Gus, who looked affronted.

“Hey, you agreed to the terms of the race, so you pay the price,” Gus protested.

Amity wrinkled her nose. “Ugh, no wonder you smell like dust and sweat. I’m not kissing you until you wash up.”

“Aww, Amity, what’s a little dirt between friends?” Luz complained, but she gave in and stomped off to the bathroom.

“So, do you need us to help get things started?” Willow asked sheepishly.

“Yes, please,” Amity replied, looking down at her apron. “I still need to clean up once Luz is done.”

***

A few hours later, the sun had begun to set in the sky, casting the dining room in a fiery glow. The four witches had whipped up a massive feast (though some of the dishes freaked Camila out when they blinked or tried to crawl off the plates), and now they were chatting amicably about their days over slices of cake. Eda had shown up at the door in the middle of dinner, along with the dark-haired witch from earlier. It was only when they were together that Camila noticed their mirrored eyes. Both shared one gray eye on opposite sides, while their others were as polar opposite as the sun and moon, as were their personalities. The stern one - Lilith - had chased Eda around the dining room after all of her silverware was stolen, but now the argument had died down and an air of contentment filled the room.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot what today was,” Luz chuckled, prodding at her dessert with her fork. “You’d think that I’d remember the anniversary of my arrival in the Boiling Isles, but I’m still as oblivious as I used to be.”

Amity rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” she muttered as she let her hand drift under the table, taking hold of Luz’s. A ring, similar to Luz’s but the color of coal, fit snugly around her finger.

“That’s why I need you around to remind me what day it is,” Luz laughed softly, but there was tension in her jaw, and her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. She feigned a long yawn, stretching her arms above her head and not-so-subtly ruffling her wife’s hair. “I’m wiped out. Let’s clean up and head to bed.” She shot Amity a pleading look.

“It’s getting late, Luz and I can do it in the morning,” the redhead announced after catching Luz’s gaze. The others around the table protested, but she held up her hands placatingly. “It’s going to get dark soon anyway, and they predicted shale hail tonight. Really, it’s no big deal.”

After many hugs and lots of good-natured teasing, the guests finally took their leave, King having burrowed into Eda’s hair, since apparently he split his time between Luz and Eda, who enjoyed arguing about him as if they were a grumpy divorced couple and each was trying to prove who the better parent was. Once the front door closed with a resounding thud, Luz sighed, her entire body deflating. Amity hurried to her side, concern practically pouring out of her.

“Are you okay, my dearest?” she asked quietly. Luz just stood there for a moment, taking slow, deep breaths, before finally bringing herself back to the present.

“I’m fine,  _ cariño _ ,” she muttered quietly, as if trying to assure herself as well. “I’m going to get ready for bed, if that’s okay. I can clean up in the morning.”

Amity pursed her lips, but didn’t protest. “We can talk later if you want. I’ll always listen to anything you have to say, even if it’s something dumb.  _ Especially _ if it’s something dumb.”

Luz snorted at that, but it sounded weak, half-hearted. “Thanks, Ams.” She trudged up the stairs without looking back, Camila silently sailing along behind her. Luz made her way over to her bed with a sigh, sitting down heavily. She pulled open a drawer in the stand beside her, sifting through it for a moment. After a few moments of fumbling in the dark, she slowly pulled out a thin, rectangular device. Her phone still had the same goofy case with bat wings on it; Camila could vividly remember Luz begging her for it, and how she seemed to spend more time staring at the case than the actual phone. She laughed to herself, but the moment was soured by her daughter’s mood. Luz clicked the button on the side of the phone, ghostly light illuminating her face as she skimmed her way through the various games and apps she’d installed. Camila drifted closer, watching over Luz’s shoulder as she tapped the messaging app. The contact name “Mami 🧡” blinked to life at the top of the screen as Luz sifted through the chat. Hundreds, if not thousands of messages filled the screen, continuing indefinitely as Luz scrolled through them. It was Luz’s digital diary; she’d recorded everything there, along with pictures of special occasions. The day she graduated from Hexside, the first student to take every single track. A week after Belos’s reign was brought to an end, the day the council took over in his stead, ushering in a new era of peace. The day of her wedding, holding hands at the altar with Amity and shoving cake into each other’s faces. Every message had a bright red exclamation point next to it: “Failed to send.”

Amity appeared in the door, silently making her way over to Luz and sitting at her side. They stayed there in silence for only a few minutes, or it may have been hours, as Luz sifted through all of her messages, before adding the newest entry.

  
  
  


**It’s been thirteen years since I first arrived in the Boiling Isles.**

**I know you probably wouldn’t believe any of this could ever**

**be real, but, even if this isn’t the path you thought was**

**best for me, I hope you would still be proud of your little girl.**

**I love you, Mami. I hope you’re doing well.**

  
  
  


With a shaky sigh, Luz put the phone back in the drawer. She grabbed something from her pocket, slowly removing her hand, as if she was afraid it might shatter.

“I found these when I was looking through trash slug junk with Eda,” she croaked, holding her hands out to Amity. Two small, golden stud earrings were cradled in her palms. Amity inspected them, but stayed silent as Luz continued.

“Mami never wore a lot of jewelry, but whenever she had a meeting, or we went out to eat, she’d always remember to put on a pair of earrings that looked just like these.” She sniffled, unable to quell the tears that were flowing down her face and dripping into her hands, surrounding the earrings like a sea circling a lonely island. “I never got to say goodbye. Even after the war, we never found what was left of the door. She’s probably spent this entire time looking for me, wondering what happened. If I was kidnapped, or killed, or ran away from home. I never wanted to leave her side. I’d give anything to see her again, and tell her how sorry I am.”

Amity held her as she sobbed, clutching the earrings as if they were her only lifeline, and Camila had to fight off tears of her own. But now she’d overstayed her welcome, and felt something tug at her soul, as if beckoning her home, to relax by the fireplace after a long day at work, a book in hand and soft, lilting music filling the air.

_ I could never be more proud of you, Luz, _ she whispered, even though no one could hear it. _ I missed you every day, but you’ve made friends and met family and made a beautiful life for yourself. I couldn’t ask for anything more, mija. I’m sure we’ll see each other again. _

With one last fond gaze at her daughter, Camila Noceda slipped away to dance amongst the stars, twinkling in the sky as she watched Luz live her life, taking every new day as an adventure waiting to happen, just as she had always done.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I think the stress from the end of the semester has manifested itself in the form of this bittersweet oneshot. I'm not religious, and I tried to avoid using anything religious, but, when I was little, my parents would tell me that people became stars when they passed away. Whenever we were driving at night, I'd always look for the biggest, brightest star, which was always my grandfather's, so that influenced some of this fic. I have angsty/darker ideas for my other series, but this was my first time really delving into emotion and now I've made myself sad by writing this.


End file.
